The 97th ''Jäger'' Division was a light infantry Division of the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It can trace its origins to the 97th Light Infantry Division which was formed in December 1940. It was then redesignated the 97th ''Jäger'' Division in July 1942. It fought in the

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II Eastern Front engagement between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in the southwestern USSR during late summer 1943; it ultimately became the largest tank battle in history. ...

and suffered heavy losses. It was then transferred to the lower

Dnieper } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine and B ...

river area and fought well during the retreat through

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. It was transferred to

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

in October 1944 and surrendered to the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

near Deutschbrod in May 1945.

Background

The main purpose of the German ''Jäger'' Divisions was to fight in adverse terrain where smaller, coordinated units were more facilely combat-capable than the brute force offered by the standard infantry divisions. The ''Jäger'' divisions were more heavily equipped than mountain divisions, but not as well armed as a larger infantry division. In the early stages of the war, they were the interface divisions fighting in rough terrain and foothills as well as urban areas, between the mountains and plains. The ''Jägers'' (hunters in German), relied on a high degree of training and slightly superior communications, as well as their not inconsiderable artillery support. In the middle stages of the war, as the standard infantry divisions were downsized, the Jäger structure of divisions with two infantry regiments became the standard table of organization. In 1943,

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

declared that all infantry divisions were now Grenadier Divisions except for his elite Jäger and Mountain Jäger divisions.

Commanders

*''

Generaloberst A ("colonel general") was the second-highest general officer rank in the German ''Reichswehr'' and ''Wehrmacht'', the Austro-Hungarian Common Army, the East Germany, East German National People's Army and in their respective police services. ...

Walter Weiß __NOTOC__ General Walter-Otto Weiß, also spelt Weiss (5 September 1890 – 21 December 1967), was a German general during World War II. In 1945 he became commander in chief of Army Group North on the Eastern Front. He was a recipient of the Kni ...

(15 December 1940 – 15 January 1941) *''

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

der Infanterie''

Sigismund von Förster Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it ''Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...

(15 January 1941 – 15 April 1941) *''General der Artillerie''

Maximilian Fretter-Pico __NOTOC__ Maximilian Fretter-Pico (6 February 1892 – 4 April 1984) was a German general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. A veteran of WWI, he would serve in the Ba ...

(15 April 1941 – 27 December 1941) *''

Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of O ...

'' Ernst Rupp (1 January 1942 – 30 May 1943) *''

Generalmajor is the Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and Royal Danish Air Force. As a two-star ...

'' Friedrich-Wilhelm Otte (30 May 1943 – 3 June 1943) *''General der Infanterie''

Ludwig Müller Johan Heinrich Ludwig Müller (23 June 1883 – 31 July 1945) was a German theologian, a Lutheran pastor, and leading member of the pro-Nazi " German Christians" (german: Deutsche Christen) faith movement. In 1933 he was appointed by the Nazi g ...

(3 June 1943 – 12 December 1943) *''Generalleutnant'' Friedrich-Carl Rabe von Pappenheim (13 December 1943 – 17 April 1945) *''Generalmajor'' Robert Bader (17 April 1945 – 8 May 1945)

Area of operations

;As 97th Light Division *Germany (Dec 1940 – June 1941) * Eastern front, southern sector (June 1941 – July 1942) ;As 97th Jäger Division *Eastern front, southern sector (July 1942 – October 1944) *Slovakia (October 1944 – May 1945) see:

Battle of the Dukla Pass The Battle of the Dukla Pass, also known as the Dukla, Carpatho–Dukla, Rzeszów–Dukla, or Dukla–Prešov offensive, was the battle for control over the Dukla Pass on the border between Poland and Slovakia on the Eastern Front of World ...

Order of battle

*'' Jäger Regiment 204'' *''Jäger Regiment 207'' *Reconnaissance Battalion 97 *''Artillerie Regiment 81'' *''Pionier Battalion 97'' *''

Panzerjäger ''Panzerjäger'' (German language, German "armour-hunters" or "tank-hunters", abbreviated to ''Pz.Jg.'' in German) was a branch of service of the Nazi Germany, German Wehrmacht during the World War II, Second World War. It was an Anti-tank war ...

Battalion 97'' *Signals Battalion 97 *''Feldersatz Battalion 81'' *''Versorgungseinheiten 97'' *''Schlächterei-Kompanie 97''

References

External links